THE MAN, THE BAIT AND THE CLASSIC

Jay Yelas Makes All The Right Bass-Fishing Moves

EDITOR'S NOTE: Thirty-six-year old Jay Yelas, of Tyler, Texas won the 2002 BASS Master's Classic in July after winning FLW Angler of the year for 2001-2002. Here, Yelas describes the tactics, both physical and mental, that he used to help him win the biggest fishing tournament in the nation.

LAST DAY

"When the water was finally right on the last Classic day, I only had three hours left to try and win the Classic," Yelas recalls. "On my first pass up the bank, I only caught one fish. But I noticed two men fishing on the bank with live shad right under the tree where I'd caught my 6-pound largemouth on the second day of the Classic. They would cast upstream and let those live shad wash under the tree. The first time I fished that tree, I didn't get a bite. So I moved up the bank and fished to the end of the cover. Then I turned the boat around, went downcurrent and started up the bank. This time, when I came up to the tree and flipped my Berkley Jay Yelas Power Jig into the tree, a 4-pound 13-ounce bass took the jig. I caught that fish. Then on my second pass, I took a 5-pound largemouth and then a 3-pound largemouth before I finished my run up the bank. During my third pass, I didn't get a bite. And on the fourth time up the bank, I caught a 3-pounder.

"One of the keys I've learned to successful tournament fishing is that when you find a good place, don't get antsy and nervous. Continue to work that spot, and bet on the bass you've found. Not until I had 10 pounds, 11 ounces of bass in the boat did I breathe a sigh of relief and believe I really had a chance to win the Classic."

YELAS CATCHES ALL THE BIG BASS

Not only did Jay Yelas win the BASS Masters Classic by bringing in 9 pounds, 2 ounces more than the second-place finisher, but each of the three days of the Classic, he also caught the big bass of the day. On the first day of the Classic, Yelas weighed in a 6-pound 2-ounce largemouth and won an additional $1000. Yelas caught a 6-pound 4-ounce largemouth on the second day of the Classic and won another $1000. Then during the final day of the tournament, Yelas once more caught the biggest bass of the day, a 4-pound 13-ounce largemouth bass -- worth another $1000. Yelas took all three big bass on his Jay Yelas Power Jig.

THE POWER OF THE STREAK

All athletes, regardless of the sport they participate in, realize the higher level of consciousness that can and oftentimes does occur that allows for peak performance over an extended time. Basketball players call this intense feeling of concentration "the zone," and other athletes call it "the groove." Baseball players in the groove may enjoy a long hitting streak, and a basketball player may ring the goal every time he shoots when he finds the zone.

Yelas recalls that his streak started in June. "When I won the FLW Angler-of-the-Year title in June, I had to come from way behind to beat Kevin VanDam. When that happened, I felt I had momentum going for me. Although I usually fished a lot before participating in a BASS Master's Classic, I had this feeling that I didn't want to lose. So, I didn't even touch a fishing rod until I fished the Classic. I was in such a groove mentally that I wanted to preserve that groove as best I could. During this 2002 Classic, everything worked out perfectly for me. I fished almost flawlessly, the bass were where I thought they would be, and the bass bit when and how I thought they would bite."

To learn more about the Jay Yelas Power Jig or the Frenzy crankbait, click here at www.purefishing.com